A patient with a glucagonoma may develop a cardiomyopathy.
Mechanism: glucagon acts as an inotropic agent.
Clinical features:
(1) dilated cardiomyopathy with heart failure and tachycardia
(2) reduced left ventricular ejection fraction
(3) clinical features of glucagonoma (weight loss, diabetes, necrolytic migratory erythema, stomatitis)
(4) elevated serum glucagon concentration
(5) exclusion of other diagnoses that can explain the cardiomyopathy
The cardiomyopathy is reversible if the tumor can be resected.
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Specialty: Cardiology, Hematology Oncology
